How do you know when it’s time for a change?
I was asked a really interesting question while being interviewed the other day…
How did you know when it was time to make a change in your business?
This was the first time I have ever been asked this, and it really made me think about the clues in my own personal journey that let me know it was time to make a change.
I think the first step to making a change is to realize it is inevitable. I can never remember the exact quote or who said it so forgive me in advance for messing this up, but I know it goes something like this:
If you aren’t growing, you are dying.
It is a fact of life on earth that we are always either growing, or we are dying. We are advancing or moving backward. There is no such thing as ’sitting still.’ If we look around at mother nature this is abundantly clear – plants grow, then they die. The same rules apply to our business. If we aren’t constantly growing, adapting, changing, morphing our business then the opposite will happen – they will shrink/die. If we look back over the challenges of the past year, this has been seen time and again in business – those who are able to change with the times thrive, and those who aren’t will suffer.
And I agree that this in and of itself can be quite annoying - as it means that we never ‘get there’. There is no such thing as a finish line, no such thing as “when I reach X in my business everything will be complete.” I’ve had my moments where i’ve thought “Ok, I’ve reached X… can’t I just stay here and enjoy this for a while? Aren’t I done now?” Alas we aren’t able to stay still for too long – we need to keep on changing and growing!
Once we accept that change is inevitable – and can actually be enjoyable – then it simply becomes a matter of paying attention to when it’s time for a change. Here are a few clues that I know have popped up for me from time to time:
- I start to get annoyed with things that I used to enjoy doing. For me this is actually a big one and it’s happened to me a few times… I love what I’m doing, have great clients and I’m doing great work, but suddenly work becomes a drag. I find myself annoyed when clients ask me for help with the very things they’ve hired me for, and which I used to enjoy doing. When this has happened to me, I’ve had to take a look around and realize it’s time to look at the next level – whether I want to or not!
- I start to drop the ball in my work. This is generally a result of the first point, and can be something to watch out for. I’ve found that when I start to drop the ball and make mistakes in my work on a regular basis there is usually something bigger going on. We all make mistakes from time to time – this is more about consistently making mistakes and not providing the high level of service/value that we are striving for.
- I feel envy/jealousy at what other people are doing. I used to think jealousy was a ‘bad’ thing, but what it really is for me is a clue. If I look at what someone else is doing in their business and feel that ‘pang’ of envy, that generally means I want what they have. And then it becomes a matter of what/how do I need to change myself and my business to achieve similar results. The key is of course to act on it, and not stay stuck in jealousy which is when it becomes icky.
- New and unexpected opportunities show up. Quite often the best opportunities show up when we least expect them, or they show up in a way that we didn’t expect. I’m a firm believer that the universe provides clues for us as to our next steps. It’s up to us to be paying attention and be willing to take action.
- Other people point out that we need to change. For whatever reason it seems that, quite often, other people can see in us the things we aren’t able to see ourselves. This is why I consider it SOOOO important to surround yourself with like-minded people who are going to call you to play a bigger game. This alone has made a world of difference in my business this past few months – my support system won’t let me get away with staying stuck anymore!
Let me ask, what is the next big change in your business? Where are you resisting change? What clues are showing up for you, and what are you doing to act on them?
Especially important at this time of year as our thoughts shift to 2010 and creating what we want in the near year. Would love to hear your comments.
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Oh, Tina, you are soooo right!
I had been a financial coach for almost 8 years and the business just wasn’t growing and I couldn’t make myself do the things that I thought I SHOULD be doing to make it grow.
My business coach, Kathy Brandon of The Dream Team, started telling me that I was really good at providing service to others around technology (prior to financial coaching, I’d done technology training for over 20 years) and we started to explore how I might get back in to that. We hadn’t hit on the answer, though…
Then I was listening to Carrie Wilkerson’s Pink Slip Webinars and she encouraged us to ask “How Can you Serve More People?” and I thought it was a great question to keep asking myself. I must have asked it a hundred times overnight.
The very next day, my copy of Becoming an Online Business Manager arrived in the mail and it only took a couple of pages for me to realize that I’d been doing OBM work all of my working life!
So, that was pretty much the end of financial coaching and I started doing OBM work. I am having such a blast!
I’m so grateful to have Kathy and Carrie and you show up in my life when I needed you! Thank you!
Cindy
You always write with the earthy candor I know you for, Tina!
I relate to many of the points here. Too often people tell themselves, “Well, it’s just work so I should get over it/forget about it/stop fuming/etc/etc.”
WRONG!
Don’t “get over it.” Understand WHY you suddenly might need to start moving through it – and then past it – to the next “thing” you’re being called to do.
It’s like the illusion of winning the lottery. “If only … ” Sitting still looks so good from this side of the fence until we actually get to sit still and then it feels kind of … stale. Like a J-O-B.
Of course, the caveat here is that we shouldn’t confuse “sitting still” with the need to still one’s mind long enough to really listen to a calling. Then of course we must get off our butt and answer it!
Cheers,
Karri
Excellent, excellent article!! It really made me thing about some of the annoyances I’ve been having in my business … some of the things MANY of my peers and clients have been telling me I should do for a good while, and how I really need to start listening and paying attention to what I’m hearing and feeling. This specific article came a very aprapos time in my business – thanks so much!
I also love that you’re doing it as a podcast too. It’s much easier for me to listen to a 6 minute clip than sit and read it.
What a perceptive post! I have experienced all of these symptoms, often simultaneously. Thank you for helping others to organize their thoughts and realize it’s not just them, and yet it is just them. Perhaps this post will enable the readers to make the necessary life changes that will bring peace to their lives.